Composite insulator



May 12, 1964 DOERER 3,132,355

COMPOSITE INSULATOR Filed March 5, 1962 INVENTOR.

RICHARD P. DOERER ATTORNER S United States Patent 3,132,355 COMPOSITE INSULATOR Richard P. Doerer, Ypsilanti, Mich., assignor to Van Dresser Specialty Corporation, Warren, Mich., a corporation of Michigan Filed Mar. 5, 1962, Ser. No. 177,497 6 Claims. (Cl. -354) This invention relates generally to insulators for use between the overlying padding and underlying supporting spring structure of an upholstered assembly.

One of the essential objects of the invention is to provide an insulator for use between an overlying padding and an underlying supporting spring structure comprising a sheet of flexible material having a plurality of flexible resilient strands upon one surface thereof, and anchorage means adjacent opposite edges of the sheet to which the strands are terminally .connected.

Another object is to provide an insulator having a layer of flexible resilient strands upon one surface of the sheet of flexible material, the strands being prestretched beyond the elastic limit of the material from which they are formed so that the strands are increased in overall length to approximately the dimension of the corresponding portions of the supporting spring structure.

Another object is to provide an insulator wherein the strands are in substantially parallel, laterally spaced relation to one another and of helical or other undulating form.

Another object is to provide an insulator having two sheets of flexible material and a layer of flexible resilient reinforcing strands between the sheets, providing a laminated insulator structure.

Another object is to provide an insulator wherein the sheets cooperate with one another to provide elongated, substantially parallel, laterally spaced pockets, the strands of the intermediate layer being respectively disposed in the pockets.

Another object is to provide an insulator wherein the sheets are pleated transversely of the pockets.

Other objects and features of the invention will become apparent as the description proceeds, especially when taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, wherein:

FIGURE 1 is a perspective view of an upholstered assembly provided with an insulator constructed in accordance with my invention, showing parts broken away and in section.

FIGURE 2 is a top plan view of the insulator, shown in position over the border frame of the supporting spring structure.

FIGURE 3 is a semi-diagrammatic view taken substantially on the line 3-3 of FIGURE 2, omitting the border frame.

FIGURE 4 is a fragmentary semi-diagrammatic view taken substantially on line 4-4 of FIGURE 2, omitting the border frame.

FIGURE 5 is a plan view of the core of the insulator before the strands are stretched, shown overlying the border frame.

FIGURE 6 is a top plan view of the insulator core, after it has been stretched, shown overlying the border frame to illustrate the configuration of the stretched core with respect to that of the border frame.

FIGURE 7 is an enlargement of a portion of FIGURE 4.

In the drawings, A is an elongated substantially horizontal, flexible, bodily stretchable sheet-like insulator embodying my invention disposed between an overlying padding B for an exterior trim material C and an underlying supporting spring structure D of an upholstered assembly.

The insulator A is best shown in FIGURES 2-4 and 7,

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and includes an elongated sheet of flexible material 10, another elongated sheet of flexible material 12 having substantially the same marginal outline as the sheet 10, and a prestretched reinforcing core 14 between the sheets 10 and 12. The insulator is a composite laminated structure with the core 14 constituting a lamination or layer between the outer layers or sheets 10 and 12 of flexible material.

The prestretched core 14 includes a plurality of laterally spaced, substantially parallel, resilient stretchable reinforcing strands 16. The core is best seen in FIGURE 6, and it will be noted that anchorage means or members which may be in the form of cords 18 extend along both ends of the core, and the strands are terminally connected to said cords 18. The ends of the strands may be simply wrapped or folded around the cords to be held in a predetermined spaced relation to one another. The strands between their ends are helical as is apparent particularly in FIGURE 3.

The supporting spring structure D includes an elongated substantially horizontal border frame 20 having the contoured ends 22 and 24. The border frame may be formed of a wire element or the like, and also has the longitudinally extending straight sides 26 and 28 connecting the contoured ends 22 and 24. As shown, the composite insulator A has an outline which closely approximates that of the border frame. Preferably, the sheets 10 and 12 are slightly larger both in width and length than the border frame, while the core is very close in outline to that of the border frame.

As seen particularly in FIGURES 3 and 4, the sheet 12 is substantially flat and the sheet 10 is formed with transversely curved portions or loops 30 extending substantially from one end to the other, which cooperate with the sheet 12 in defining parallel open tunnels or pockets 32 which extend lengthwise of the insulator. The sheets are secured together by staples 33 or any other suitable securing means such, for example, as stitching or adhesive. In this instance, the staples run between the pockets 32 to separate them from each other. A strand 16 is disposed in each of the pockets 32, and the cords or anchorage members 18 extend across the ends of the pockets. It will, of course, be understood that the strands may, if desired, extend crosswise rather than lengthwise of the insulator.

Preferably the sheets are pleated transversely of the pockets, that is the material of the sheets is formed to provide the pleats 34 which extend at right angles to the pockets from one side to the other. The pleats are shown in FIGURE 7. By thus pleating the sheets, they as Well as the strands 16 are stretchable in the direction of length of the insulator so as to yield under load.

The insulator is shown in FIGURE 2 overlying the border frame 20 of the supporting spring structure. It will be understood that in use the insulator will be marginally secured to the border frame, as by means of the hog rings 35 shown in FIGURE 1. Other securing means such, for example, as clips may be provided instead of hog rings.

Although the various elements of the insulator may be formed from any suitable material for the purposes set forth, the sheets 10 and 12 are preferably formed of burlap, and the reinforcing strands 16 are preferably formed of wire. The anchorage members or cords 18 may be formed for example of rolled or folded burlap.

In the manufacture of the insulator shown in FIG- URES 24, the core is first formed to the shape and configuration shown in FIGURE 5. The core in its initial form is there designated 14 and it will be noted that the strands 16 are all initially of the same length and that the pitch of the helical convolutions is also the same.

The ends of the strands are terminally connected to the anchorage members or cords 18 by being folded or wrapped about the cords, and the core thus formed is substantially rectangular with the strands substantially parallel and in laterally spaced relation to each other.

The core of FIGURE 5, which is there shown in its initial form, must be shaped to the configuration shown in FIGURE 6 before it is ready to be assembled with the sheets 10 and 12 to complete the composite insulator A. -In other words, the strands 16 must be longitudinally stretched, certain strands more than others, so that in the free state of the core it assumes substantially the outline shown in FIGURE 6 which corresponds closely to the outline of the border frame. To accomplish this, the ends of the strands, or the cords near the strand ends, are firmly gripped and relatively moved away from each other to stretch the core to a length somewhat greater than the length of the border frame. The dotted position 49 (FIGURE 6) of the cords indicate the extent to which the strands are stretched. When the strands are released, the cords will spring back slightly and assume a permanent condition indicated in solid lines in FIGURE 6. Thus the core assumes a stable prestretched condition which substantially follows the outline of the border frame.

An suitable means may be employed to stretch the core of the insulator. Preferably, a plurality of grippers will be provided along both ends of the core to respectively grip the ends of each strand, and the grippers should be movable independently of each other so that some can stretch the strands to a greater extent than others, for it Will be seen the drawing that the core in its final form has some strands stretched only slightly and other strands stretched to a greater degree. A stretching fixture, such as the shown in my co-pending application, Serial No. 151,771, filed November 13, 1961, is suitable for the purpose.

The sheets 10 and 12 when stretched out fiat are slightly longer than illustrated in FIGURE 2, it being understood that in these figures the material of the sheets has been transversely pleated, somewhat shortening their overall length. It will also be understood that when laid flat sheet 10 is of a somewhat greater dimension from side to side than the sheet 12 since enough material must be provided :to form the loops 30.

In order to form the composite insulator from its parts, the prestretched core shown in FIGURE 6 may be laid over the sheet 12, the sheet 12 having first been pleated in a transverse direction. The sheet 10 may then be laid over the core and likewise transversely pleated. The margins of the sheets coincide with one another, and the material of the upper sheet 10 will fold about the individual strands to form the loops 30. The sheets are secured together by any suitable means such, for example, as the staples 33 shown which run between the loops to permanently separate the pockets or tunnels 32 from each other. The completed insulator may be attached to the border frame of the supporting spring structure by any suitable means such as the hog rings 35 shown in FIG- URE 1.

The insulator A is capable of stretching longitudinally, since the prestretched strands of the core are stretchable 4t and the pleated material of the sheets is likewise capable of extending or stretching.

Although the strands areshown extending from end to end of the insulator, they may extend transversely, that is from side to side, in which event the pleats would extend from end to end.

While the strands are preferably helical as shown, they may also be of other undulating form. Thus the undulations may, for example, lie in the same plane and be sinuous, or V-shaped, or any other desired wavy configuration.

What I claim as my invention is:

1. An insulator for use between an elongated overlying padding and an elongated underlying supporting spring structure having an elongated border frame; comprising a horizontally extending elongated sheet of flexible material adapted to extend lengthwise of said border frame, a plurality of horizontally extending, elongated, laterally spaced, substantially parallel, flexible, resilient reinforcing strands on one side of and extending lengthwise of said sheet, a second horizontally extending elongated sheet of flexible material on the side of said strands opposite the first mentioned sheet and extending lengthwise of said first mentioned sheet, each of said sheets having a dimension measured in the direction of length of said strands approximating the dimension of said supporting spring structure measured in the same direction, said strands being of helical form and initially being respectively shorter than the corresponding portions of said supporting spring structure measured in the aforesaid direction, said strands being longitudinally stretched to a free state condition of increased length such that said stretched strands have approximately the same lengthwise dimen sion respectively as the corresponding portions aforesaid of said supporting spring structure, and means securing said sheets together.

2. The insulator defined in claim 1, wherein the securing means are between the respective strands and maintain the substantially parallel relation of said strands.

3. The insulator defined in claim 1, wherein said sheets are pleated transversely of said strands.

4. The insulator defined in claim 1, wherein one of said sheets is formed with longitudinally extending transversely curved portions that cooperate with the other of said sheets to form tunnels for the respective strands.

5. The insulator defined in claim 1, wherein transversely extending anchorage members are provided at opposite ends of said strands, and said strands are terminally connected to said anchorage members.

6. The insulator defined in claim 1, wherein portions of the insulator are adapted to be marginally secured to said border frame.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 2,341,254 Williams et al. Feb. 8, 1944 2,582,479 Clark Jan. 15, 1952 2,906,320 Reed Sept. 29, 1959 2,961,759 Weissfloch Nov. 29, 1960 3,024,477 Reed Mar. 13, 1962 3,032,868 Billner May 8, 1962 

1. AN INSULATOR FOR USE BETWEEN AN ELONGATED OVERLYING PADDING AND AN ELONGATED UNDERLYING SUPPORTING SPRING STRUCTURE HAVING AN ELONGATED BORDER FRAME; COMPRISING A HORIZONTALLY EXTENDING ELONGATED SHEET OF FLEXIBLE MATERIAL ADAPTED TO EXTEND LENGTHWISE OF SAID BORDER FRAME, A PLURALITY OF HORIZONTALLY EXTENDING, ELONGATED, LATERALLY SPACED, SUBSTANTIALLY PARALLEL, FLEXIBLE, RESILIENT REINFORCING STRANDS ON ONE SIDE OF AND EXTENDING LENGTHWISE OF SAID SHEET, A SECOND HORIZONTALLY EXTENDING ELONGATED SHEET OF FLEXIBLE MATERIAL ON THE SIDE OF SAID STRANDS OPPOSITE THE FIRST MENTIONED SHEET AND EXTENDING LENGTHWISE OF SAID FIRST MENTIONED SHEET, EACH OF SAID SHEETS HAVING A DIMENSION MEASURED IN THE DIRECTION OF LENGTH OF SAID STRANDS APPROXIMATING THE DIMENSION OF SAID SUPPORTING SPRING STRUCTURE MEASURED IN THE SAME DIRECTION, SAID STRANDS BEING OF HELICAL FORM AND INITIALLY BEING RESPECTIVELY SHORTER THAN THE CORRESPONDING PORTIONS OF SAID SUPPORTING SPRING STRUCTURE MEASURED IN THE AFORESAID DIRECTION, SAID STRANDS BEING LONGITUDINALLY STRETCHED TO A FREE STATE CONDITION OF INCREASED LENGTH SUCH THAT SAID STRETCHED STRANDS HAVE APPROXIMATELY THE SAME LENGTHWISE DIMENSION RESPECTIVELY AS THE CORRESPONDING PORTIONS AFORESAID OF SAID SUPPORTING SPRING STRUCTURE, AND MEANS SECURING SAID SHEETS TOGETHER. 